Two friends brought a new tattoo shop, with a comfortable and relaxed vibe, to East Meadow.
House of Addixion Tattoo Company, located at 2560 Hempstead Turnpike next to Funtazia, officially opened on Friday, much to the satisfaction of the owners – two friends who have known each other since they were teenagers.
Owners Jacqueline Nicolosi of Bellmore and Tom Giglio of Franklin Square, — both 34 years old — teamed up to create the shop after realizing their shared passion for tattoos. Giglio explained that he was living in Miami for four years, hanging out at his friend’s tattoo shop, when he recognized how much he loved the art. When he moved back to New York, he knew he wanted to be able to open up his own place.
“[Tom] is my best friend and I knew he needed a partner,” Nicolosi said. “It just kind of happened at a really good time."
Giglio said that he also saw that many local tattoo parlors didn’t feel extremely welcoming or friendly. Though neither he nor Nicolosi are tattoo artists, they decided that they would start their own business that would have a sociable atmosphere for customers.
“I just wanted to open this place to basically have my own place and have everyone feel welcome, have really good artists and quality work,” he added. “I just want it to be a place where you feel when you walk in that you are comfortable from the beginning. It’s somewhere you want to get tattooed.”
Nicolosi said that they wanted the shop to have a really nice atmosphere, but at the same time be laid back and comfortable. She added that she wanted to be her own boss and she wanted to “have something to show."
“She had a full-time job and she wanted to do something more than that,” said Giglio, who himself formerly worked in the mortgage industry, in regards to Nicolosi. “She didn’t love it. She wanted to do something more than that. We both want to do something that we love and have a passion and liking for.”
The duo started searching for a location about a year and a half ago. The space that House of Addixion Tattoo Company now occupies was formerly part of Funtazia, which sits next door to the shop. Giglio explained that he was always at the location and is friends with Funtazia's owner. He proposed the idea of taking over the second space to focus on tattoos to the owner, who agreed.
“It just seemed like a good place,” he added.
The shop features four stations, one private room, and another room for piercing. Giglio said that they have five artists, who he found through referrals, word of mouth, and Craigslist.
“It all worked, everyone seemed to click right from the beginning,” he said, adding that his goal is to eventually open five shops, with “one in every county, at least."
Are you going to visit the new tattoo parlor? Tell us in the comments.
